Best practices for implementing OpenStack in telco

Posted on: October 5, 2016

Red Hat Verticals Team

OpenStack is starting to take hold in the telecommunications and ICT industry. Advancements are enabling telcos to go beyond common virtualized network functions (VNFs) to address the more complex needs of application servers, messaging infrastructure and interfaces to external systems.

Red Hat’s Darrell Jordan Smith, vice president of global telecommunications and ICT, led a panel discussion on OpenStack deployment best practices for the telco industry at the 2016 OpenStack Summit. Panelists from Verizon, AT&T and Telus Communications shared key learnings, collaboration strategies and tips on how to manage a successful implementation.

According to the panelists, the key challenges they’re facing today are managing multiple locations, consistent upgrades across all modules, security, and educational knowledge-sharing with operational teams.

The panelists said they tackled the easier applications first, but are now focused on the VNFs that require a certain level of performance; things like voice applications, mobility and media services which offer more complexity. The panelists reported that these applications are all doable, but understanding availability and delivering consistent performance is key.

From a community perspective, the panelists said they beleive OpenStack enablement would benefit from rolling upgrades, educating people on the OpenStack platform and nurturing a more agile culture within telco organizations. The group went on to discuss live migration, certification and partnerships, and joined a lively question-and-answer conversation with the audience.

You can view the full conversation on the OpenStack website. What challenges do you face with deployment? And what questions would you have asked the panelists? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.